For The Nights I Can't Remember
by weasleytwingirlforlife
Summary: Edward finds a newborn in the woods who can hear another vampire's thoughts. The werewolves are searching for her and the Cullens don't know why. A war is soon underway and nobody seems to know why or which side they're fighting for. JB/OC
1. Chapter 1

(APOV)

Run. Hide. Don't let them find me, please dear God don't let them find me. I couldn't keep it up much longer; I was running out of breath and they were gaining on me. The muscles in my legs burned as I inhaled deeply through my mouth. The more I pushed myself to keep going the more I wanted to stop which made me realize that if I did they'd get me which caused myself to push even harder. I started zigzagging through the forest, trying to shake them off, hoping my scent would cross with somebody else's. No light made it onto the leaf carpeted forest floor, the branches of the trees close enough to form a canopy keeping me from seeing where I was going. I could sense them drawing closer, a couple of them already ahead, making me momentarily think that they were giving up on me and had moved on to a bigger, better prey.

I was wrong.

The three that had raced ahead of me circled back around, forcing me to back into the other two still running towards me. They pushed me from behind as I stumbled backwards on a tree root. My hands and knees burned; the smell of blood reached my nose and I knew that I was in trouble now. My blood would only make them want to kill me quicker. Footsteps drew closer from all directions as I closed my eyes, praying that they would finish me off quickly.

"Well, well, well, we finally caught you. You gave us a good run there for a while, but you were never good enough to get rid of us," a cold laughing voice said cruelly. "You're hardly more then a child, aren't you?" I didn't answer him. My brother had taught me well enough to know not to. I clenched my teeth as I felt hands on my shoulders pulling me up onto my knees.

"So what should we do to you now that you've attacked us and lead us on across the state line?" the voice laughed again.

"It'd be a shame to let her die a child. I say we show her what a man is before we kill her," another voice from my right said. Hearing his words my stomach clenched and I thought I was going to be sick right there. I would much rather die then let them get me.

"I agree. You two hold her down and I'll have the first go," yet another voice laughed, moving towards me from the sounds of his voice and footsteps.

"No!" the cold voice spoke again. He seemed to be their leader as the two who were trying to force me onto my back stopped what they were doing. "I've got a better idea." Silence fell around their circle and I was tempted to open my eyes, but I didn't want to know what they had in store for me. I could try to fight them off but I was already too weak from running and the first attack. Even if I could communicate with my brother, by the time he and my cousins arrived I would be long dead. The best thing to do was to let them do what they wanted with me so my brother wouldn't worry about being too late.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice that the man to whom the cold voice belonged had moved in front of me until his hand was under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. Against my better judgment I opened my eyes out of curiosity. In front of me stood the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His hair was dark, in what little light there was it looked golden, wavy and fell to just below his jaw line. He had a square jaw and as my eyes traveled down I noticed that he had a very muscular build as well. A fitted leather jacket was open over a worn in, rust colored t-shirt which ended just above the faded jeans that he wore. Had I not known better, I would've thought him to be an aspiring high school actor. The last thing I looked at were his eyes for I already knew how they would look; my brother had described them so many times to me. Black edged his eyes but even in the darkness I could see the blood red color that filled them. As I looked into his eyes I noticed that he was looking back into mine a look of curiosity forming on his face.

A sharp loud howl suddenly shook the tension filled air around us and I saw the man's eyes instantly glance at the tree tops then back into mine. Even though nobody spoke in the forest my brother's voice suddenly filled my head. _Hang on tight, we're coming kid. _I didn't want him to. _What do you mean? We have to come! We have to save you!_ It's too late I thought, knowing he would hear me. My body started to shudder then stopped and I heard the men's whoops and laughter around me, my brother's voice no longer in my head. I hoped that he would understand.

"The rest of them are coming aren't they?" the beautiful man asked me, looking into my eyes as if searching for the answer himself. I shook my head. If I spoke I knew I would lose control of what little composure I had.

"Good." He took another step closer to me and I realized that he had long since let go of my chin. Leaving hardly any space between us he knelt in front of me and looked into my eyes for a split second longer before placing his lips on my neck. They felt as cold as ice, sending shivers rolling through me and I heard the men laugh once again. This is it, I thought. He was taking his friend's advice before killing me. Then he did something I didn't expect.

I barely felt the pain of his teeth puncturing my skin before it suddenly felt like my neck was on fire. Panicking I raised my hand, planning to push him off of me, and then fell backwards. They were gone. They had left me here, burning. I screamed louder then I had ever done in my life. Finally the pain began and things went black.


	2. Chapter 2

(EPOV)

_Oh my God! I can't believe my parents! Why do they have stuck in their head that I want to marry that annoying jackrabbit! They know that I would much rather be with my beloved White Tail. But will they listen to me? No. Why? Because they don't think that a carrot thief is worthy of their precious daughter. As if they could ever understand. I just hope that they won't be too worried when they find me missing…AHHHHH!!_

A little white and black rabbit looked at me for two seconds before turning around and hopping away as fast as it could. I just stared at it in disbelief. After all these years I thought that it was only human minds I could read. Shaking my head, I turned and continued walking aimlessly through the woods. With everything that was going on lately I needed some time to myself. Victoria was gone but now I had to deal with a murderous father and a depressed, angst filled werewolf, not to mention a hyperactive vampire planning my wedding with the love of my life. Bella wasn't somebody I didn't need to worry about either. In fact she was the one person who was more stressful then all the other's put together. I felt a twang of guilt as I continued to walk. I had told her that I was going hunting this weekend in Colorado when I was doing anything but. It was the only thing I could think of to be able to get some time by myself. Not that I wanted to leave her, but Alice never left her side and with Alice went the whole wedding planning crew and it was getting a bit too much to have all those voices and thoughts in my head. The forest was the one place where I could go that was absolutely peaceful and quiet. Or at least it usually was.

My head was suddenly filled with screams of agony and images of vampires. As I ran to the source of the screaming I prayed that I wasn't too late.

Dodging trees at top speed I finally found her. She lay completely still and not a word escaped her white, blood drained lips. Her eyes were closed and looked sunken in. As I knelt beside her to look for a pulse I noticed that she was completely naked, filling me with rage. Then I noticed that her complexion was deathly white. Removing my fingers from her neck, I felt something sticky on them and discovered why she was so pale. My fingers, her neck and the ground which she was laying and I was kneeling on were covered in blood. My lips parted and I felt myself move ever so slightly towards her when I shook it off. I couldn't. I had to resist the smell if I was going to help her. It was one thing resisting the smell of blood at school and in town but having it on me, around me and her lying nearly dead at my feet was almost too much, but she was alive. She had to be. I could still hear her thoughts.

Taking a few minutes to calm myself I thought of Bella and found myself back in complete control. I slipped my arm under her neck and knees before standing up. Making sure that her head was tucked against my chest I started running towards home. My only hope was that Carlisle would be able to do something, anything to help her. While I was running I hoped that she would think of something besides screaming, something that could help me find out who she was and how she got in the middle of the forest in her condition but she only continued to scream.

Finally, ten minutes later the sight of the large house and garage came into view, Carlisle already making his way towards me. I assumed that Alice had seen something and had called him.

"How long has she..?" he asked as he took the same hold of her and pulled her out of my arms.

"No pulse," I replied darkly. I was already planning on returning to the spot where I found her to try to find the scent of the vampire who had done this to her when Carlisle spoke again.

"Have you checked with Alice, to see if she knows anything?"

"No, not yet, but I'll head over to Bella's now to find out," I said already starting to make my way to the garage, reading his thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Totally forgot to do this in the earlier chapters but, I do NOT own Twilight unfortunately but I do claim all rights to my new character, and the luffly little bunny :) But enough of me: read on and don't forget to review :)**

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(BPOV)

"How about these flowers Bella?" Alice asked as she pointed at the picture of the red and black rose bouquet she wanted me to get. Things had been so busy lately I felt like I never got any time with Edward and myself. Especially with Charlie only letting him in the house if Alice was with him which meant more wedding plans.

"Does it really matter Alice? You already know all the choices I'm going to make so why do I need to make them?" Alice gave me a sharp look. I had forgotten that Charlie was in the living room still watching his game.

I lowered my voice and looked back at Alice. She looked distracted, almost as if she was day dreaming. My stomach felt like it was flipping as I realized what was happening. Glancing towards the living room, I made sure Charlie was still watching his basketball game before looking back at Alice.

"What did you see?" I whispered. My palms started to get sweaty as she continued to flip through the flower book, a glum look on her face. That couldn't mean anything good. "Alice?" I asked again when she didn't answer me.

"He'll tell you," she said, still looking at flowers. I wondered what she meant and then heard knocking at the door.

"Bells, will you get that?" Charlie asked, eyes glued to the TV. Already out of my seat I made my way to the front door. I had barely opened the door when Edward made his way past me to Alice. Charlie turned in his seat to see who it was and upon seeing Edward, grunted then returned to his game. I closed the door and followed Edward back into the kitchen. Although they weren't speaking a word at all, I knew that Alice was showing Edward what she had seen.

"But that doesn't help any," Edward muttered, more to himself then Alice or I. Alice had gone back to flipping through the flower book while Edward fell silent, clearly thinking things over. I stood in silence for a moment. If any of us were in danger then we wouldn't be sitting; we'd be back at the Cullen's trying to figure out what to do. Then I remembered what they did the last time something like this happened.

"Will one of you please tell me what's going on?" I asked, looking at Edward and placing my hands on my hips. Edward looked up at me from the floor and his expression showed that he had clearly forgotten that I was there.

"Nothing to worry you about," Edward said sincerely, pulling me into his arms. I didn't resist, but knew that something was definitely up or he would have told me. My head was resting on his shoulder when I thought of what I could say to make him tell me. If Alice wouldn't.

"Alice?" I asked, turning my head in her direction. It almost seemed as if she was ignoring me until I clued in that Edward was probably giving her a death glare. I looked up at him for a second before pushing myself away from him, knowing that he would drop his arms.

"Where are you going?" I heard him ask me as I pulled on my jacket. I was about to slip my foot into my sneaker when it landed on the floor. Looking down I saw that my shoes were missing. I looked back up at Edward, who was staring at the pair of originally white, mud covered sneakers in his hands. He looked almost sad which surprised me. The last time he looked like that was when Jacob thought of how I looked after Edward left me in the fall.

"I was going to find Carlisle. He'll let me know what's going on," I said softly, placing my hands on his.

He set my sneakers down on the ground then looked into my eyes. His deep golden brown ones seemed almost clouded by something; he was definitely distracted and I wanted to know why.

"Alice, we're going home. Are you coming?" He said softly. Not a split second later Alice was standing beside him, ready to go. They waited for me to put my sneakers on and tell Charlie where I was going, before climbing into the silver Volvo.

I had barely put on my seatbelt when we were speeding away from my house.

"Edward?" Alice asked quietly from the back seat.

"Yeah, I know," he replied, then turned to me, "there's something that you should know before we get there."


	4. Chapter 4

(APOV)

Everything hurt. In my head I kept screaming; begging for it to stop, for someone to kill me. The pain had lasted long enough. Even my mind hurt. I felt like I was burning alive and someone was sticking heated metal rods into every spot on my body they could reach. It felt worse then death. For a while I thought that I had to be in Hell; there was no way pain like this could exist on Earth.

I didn't know how long I had been in pain when I felt a cold sensation on my neck. It was barely enough to squelch the fire burning inside of me but I could still feel it. Then it was gone. I just continued to scream. I didn't know what it was then I remembered the only thing in my mind besides screams: a feeling colder then ice on my neck and then, fire. Maybe whatever it was that had done this to me was back. Maybe they could make it stop. I tried to move but it was no use. Even so, the cold had only touched my neck briefly then was gone. Whatever had caused it was probably gone too. I had almost resigned myself to going back to my worthless screams when I felt more cold, behind my neck and under my knees, then against the side of my head. The fire was still the dominate of the feelings and after a few minutes the coldness seemed to fade; it barely felt like cold, just a fraction of less intense fire.

That cold only lasted a few minutes longer then left. I was starting to get frustrated. I just wanted all this pain and suffering to stop. I couldn't move anything. I couldn't open my eyes, and I could hardly think. I could only scream and even that was only thoughts. After a while, I stopped. It took too much energy and I realized it was no use.

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	5. Chapter 5

E POV

"We don't know how long she's been like this but Carlisle doesn't think there's much we can do for her until the venom finishes its job," I said, adjusting the steering wheel of the Volvo

"We don't know how long she's been like this but Carlisle doesn't think there's much we can do for her until the venom finishes its job," I said, adjusting the steering wheel of the Volvo. Bella was still in shock from what I had told her about my discovery in the woods and her expression showed it. Alice had been quiet most of the drive; she was too upset to say much. Her mind was replaying the image of what she had seen, what was yet to happen. Hopefully it would happen soon and give us some help. Until then we would just have to wait.

"So, what are we going to do when she regains consciousness?" Bella asked, breaking my train of thought, "I mean, we can't have a newborn in Forks."

"We'll figure things out with Carlisle when we get home, but I think Carlisle might want to give her some time before we do anything," I replied, just as the big house that I called home came into view and Carlisle's thoughts filled my mind.

I parked the car in the garage then got of the car, closed the door, and opened Bella's door before she had even unbuckled her seat belt. Alice had already gone into the house, probably to see Jasper, who was trying to calm the girl I had found. Bella climbed out of her seat giving me an annoyed look. Out of spite I smiled at her, which felt off considering everyone's moods dealing with the day's events.

We entered the house and Bella took my hand. It was almost silent; the only sounds were those of everyone's thoughts and Bella's breathing. I followed Carlisle's thoughts up the stairs and into my room where the girl was being monitored by Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice. As we entered the room I heard Bella inhale sharply. I walked over to Carlisle to ask him some questions while Bella stayed put.

As I had predicted, Carlisle was thinking of what to do with her when she awoke. He thought about explaining everything to her and asking her to join the family.

"But what about feeding? She's a newborn. She's not going to be able to resist the temptations of the town," I muttered, not wanting to disturb the tension filled silence that had fallen over the room.

"We'll give her hunting boundaries in the forest, and tell her the consequences of killing a human in Forks," Esme responded almost unexpectedly. It seemed as if she and Carlisle had already discussed the subject. Their idea seemed pretty concrete and sound proof except for one thing.

"What about the werewolves?" I asked, turning to Rosalie as her thoughts became confused.

"What _about_ the werewolves? We've done nothing to break the treaty," she said confident that there was no problem to speak of.

"Do you really think that they'll believe the truth? After all…" I started, but then Bella cut across me.

"Of course they'll believe the truth," she said surely. I tried not to roll my eyes. She of all people should understand that since she sent the wedding invitation to Jacob, he'd use any excuse to start a war with us. After all it's not like Sam would believe any of us over Jacob. He might listen to us as he wanted to keep the peace and our secrets hidden from everybody else but Jacob would be able to convince the pack better then we could.

"We'll tell them she came to us from the woods, following our scents. They can't argue with that. We'll just have to explain the treaty to her and make sure that she complies with it or she'll have not only werewolves after her if she breaks it," Jasper said silently. Reading his thoughts I heard that he had sensed my aggravated feelings. I silently thanked him as everybody in the room fell silent, thinking about what he had said. Nobody seemed to have any objections and Emmett was sure to agree with the idea. There was only one person left to check with.

I looked at Bella and her gaze almost burned me. She seemed to hate it whenever I, or any other Cullen, doubted the werewolves. I'd never understand why. They were uncontrollable, immature, unstable and untrustworthy. Sure they were good to have around in a battle against newborns but that was about as far as their friendship extended. Besides that we just kept to ourselves; neither trusting the other. That was the way things had always been and the way they would presumably always be. Judging from the other's thoughts I wasn't the only one to doubt the werewolves believing the truth and soon enough all eyes were on Bella.

"I don't like it. You should give them a chance to believe the truth first. Besides, how do we know that _she_'ll even stay with us? I don't think it's a good idea. There's too much at risk to have a newborn here," she said with more courage in her voice then I knew she actually had. _God damn, she just doesn't get it does she? _I heard Rosalie think and I flashed her a warning look. Then I heard that the others' thoughts were along the same lines, just not as harsh.

"Bella, most newborns tend to stay close to those they wake up to. It gives them a sense of home and trust to know that somebody was there for them to explain things and get them on the right track when they need it most. Even if we hadn't have invited Alice or Rosalie or Emmett to join the family they would have anyways," Carlisle said, taking a glance at the girl lying limply on my couch, "And with the condition we found her in, it's not a good chance that whoever turned her, did it to help her. From the looks of her, she's been out there for a while with nobody and nothing. She's going to need a bit of help to get used to things in this world now." I looked down at my feet. I knew what he meant. After the three days of the most brutal physical pain I could ever remember and waking up to Carlisle, I didn't want to leave. After he explained everything to me I felt an almost instant bond with him. He was the person who was most likely to look after and take care of me during the first few years of being unstable and unreliable. Even when I left, I always came back to him and my family.

Bella fell silent, a look of deep thought on her face. She was going to have to think things over, I could tell. I glanced at the girl once more before deciding that Bella could have all the time she needed; it didn't seem like things were going to change any time soon.


	6. Chapter 6

(BPOV)

I looked at Edward; he was standing over the girl on the couch, and from the look on his face he was deep in thought. I felt hurt that he didn't really care about what I had to say about the werewolves. I understood that he wanted everybody to be safe and to keep the peace but I didn't understand why he was so prejudiced towards them. After all, nobody in the family knew the wolves as well as I did.

My gaze shifted to the limp body on the couch. I couldn't pin point it, but there was something about her that I didn't like; it was more of a gut feeling then anything else. I looked a bit closer at her which was difficult from where I was standing. It was easy to see that she had long brown hair that fell just below her shoulders. A large black blanket, which I hadn't seen before, covered her from her neck to feet, her arms on top of the blanket at her sides. Judging from where her feet were I guessed that she was roughly a few inches shorter then me.

Getting curious I stood up and walked to the side of the couch to get a better look at her. Her skin seemed tanned and pale, almost as if she had lost a lot of blood. Her hair framed her pretty face; when I looked closer I saw that it was knotted with leaves and twigs from the forest. I looked at her face last. I gasped as I studied her face. Her nose was small, her lips full, and even though her eyes were closed I could tell that they were going to be black. She hardly looked a day over fifteen or sixteen. _That must be why Carlisle and Esme want her to stay_, I thought, _she looks so young._

I felt tears well in my eyes as I continued to study her face, trying to imagine what kind of monsters could do something so cruel to someone who looked so innocent. Jasper must've sensed my emotions as I suddenly felt myself calm down from my sadness and anger. Edward must've sensed it too as he was suddenly at my side, putting his arms around me. I hugged him back and rested my head on his shoulder. I wished Jasper would stop so that I could rage, cry and be frustrated that I couldn't do either.

"It's okay Bells. We'll find out who did this," Edward crooned softly in my ear.

I stopped hugging him but stayed close, my head still on his shoulder. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be changed so young; to have to endure that much pain unwillingly. I thought back to what Carlisle had said earlier '_From the looks of her, she's been out there for a while with nobody and nothing._' It almost sounded like she'd been out there for longer then the three days Edward and Alice told me it took for the venom to work its way through the body. I thought about it a little more. If she was out there for longer than three days then it must have been because she was out there for longer before she got bitten, unless there was something about her that was taking the venom longer to overcome.

I lifted my head off of his shoulder then turned to look at Edward.

"How long has she been out there for?"

Edward looked at me carefully, almost as if he was contemplating whether or not to tell me. A small crease formed above his brow momentarily before his topaz eyes seemed to reach a decision.

"We don't know. She's not thinking of anything right now and before it was nothing but screams," He glanced at Carlisle quickly, "but we think that she may have been out there for longer than three days in this state."

I was about to ask another question when I heard the door open quietly behind me. Turning to look I saw the big form of Emmett entering, then making his way over to Rosalie, taking her hand in his as soon as he reached her.

"There's a faint scent. I followed it to the state line but after that it disappears," he said quietly, my ears straining to hear him.

"But why would they be there?"

I turned quickly to look at Edward, to be sure that it was him who had spoken.

"Why would who be there?" I asked timidly, not quite sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"I don't know. There's no way that they could have found her before you did," Emmett replied to Edward's question, the both of them ignoring me completely.

"Edward, why would who be there?" I persisted.

"Emmett caught a very faint scent of a werewolf at the spot where I found her."

I fell silent immediately. There was no way that Jacob or Sam would have left her there if they had have found her like that. They would have finished her off completely to make sure that the venom had no way of working through her body. More questions instantly formed in my head when I sensed that everybody was even quieter than before and I looked at Edward, who was gazing intently at the girl on his couch. I wondered why until I turned to look at her myself.

I inhaled sharply as I saw her open her eyes and draw a shaky breath.

**Okay peoples, time to review, review, review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, chapters 7 & 8 are now here! Sorry for the long time it took to get them up. Chapters 9 & 10 should be up quicker!**

**You guys know the drill, I do not own any of the Twilight stuffs, and don't forget to Review!!**

(APOV)

Air filled my lungs painfully, waking me to my body for the first time in days. I was fully aware of everything: the dull ache in my bones, the slow movement of blood through my veins, the weight of my eyelids against my eyes. It took more strength than I had, to open them and the whole time I had to remind myself to breathe.

I tried to sit up but failed so I contented myself to lie down and stare at ceiling. It was high above me, a startling shade of white that held no dirt but it was suddenly obscured by an angel looking down at me. His hair was almost golden and looked oddly wind blown. His face…was that of an angel, too beautiful to be human. And then I found his eyes. They were a beautiful liquid topaz and it felt like they were scorching my soul.

A faint smile passed over his lips then disappeared, a calm, collected look on his face.

"She can't remember."

The angel spoke barely above a whisper yet I heard him clear as day. I felt a hand brush the skin on my arm gently, and the angel seemed distracted.

"Anything?" another voice said, from somewhere off to my right. I tried to turn my head to see if it was another angel when a searing pain shot down my body from my neck. Unable to help it, I gasped.

I was suddenly sitting up, leaning on the angel for support, his arm around me, holding the thick black blanket tight against me. I couldn't see his expression but he didn't move from me as I let my head fall on his shoulder.

"There's nothing. It's blank," the angel said. A small tremble ran through me when I felt his voice through his body as he spoke.

"Are you sure?" This voice was just as beautiful as the angel's but sounded older, caring and held a bit of authority.

"I'm sure." The angel was getting annoyed, frustrated. I could feel it as his muscles tensed beside me. As the silence fell again I blinked, taking in my surroundings.

I was sitting on a black couch with the angel, surrounded by six more angelic beings looking back at me, all of their expressions nervous. The other being in the room was not angelic and had a peculiar smell that filled my veins with a heavy ache. She seemed almost annoyed, looking at me like I had taken something precious from her. I lifted my head slowly and turned to look at the angel, spasms of pain coursing through me.

"She's ready," said the blonde male angel, looking at the angel next to me.

He took a deep breath before looking deep into my eyes.

"I'm not an angel." His face was neutral but I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. A small sound came from the non-angelic; she seemed surprised by his words. I looked at the other angels. Their eyes were on the floor. Only the two who had already spoken were looking at me.

"Are you sure?" I asked him, blinking tiredly.

"Believe me, nobody in this room is an angel." He paused and looked at the others for help. A small pixie like angel, next to the blonde male angel, smiled at him encouragingly.

"Do you feel different?" he asked, more sure of himself this time.

I tilted my head and blinked confusedly.

"Am I supposed to?"

A crease formed on his brow.

"You don't feel hungry…or … stronger?"

I shook my head.

"Nothing at all?"

"I feel…tired," I said honestly, yawning for good effect. Mostly I just wanted to be alone. A sudden urge to flee these angels had overcome me. The angel beside me exchanged a quick glance with the blonde male before standing up.

"Can you stand?" he turned to me, holding out a hand.

"I think so," I replied quietly, gripping the blanket around me and starting to stand. A small smile formed on my face as I stood, then felt my knees buckle. When I didn't feel the impact of my body on the floor I looked up and saw the angel holding me. My feet were no longer on the floor and he held me carefully, but I didn't care. Pain was flooding my body from the broken dam in my neck.

"Her neck's still tender," the angel said quietly. "Could you all give us a minute please?" The angels nodded and left gracefully. The pixie like angel returned immediately with a small bundle in her hands which she placed on the couch, then left again. Only the non-angelic remained where she was.

"I'll only be a minute Bella," the angel said, and the non-angelic left slowly, glancing at me before leaving the room.

"Will you explain now?" I asked as he set me back down on the couch.

"Explain what?" the angel asked. He knelt on the floor beside me, looking at my neck.

"How you know what I'm thinking."

The angel stopped what he was doing and adjusted himself so his topaz eyes were level with mine.

"I'm a vampire, I can read minds," he said quietly, almost ashamed to admit this. I continued to look at him, unfazed by his confession. The word vampire stirred inside my mind but all that came up was a cold feeling in my neck.

"Can the rest of the ang-vampires read minds?"

"No, only me," he said, returning to my neck.

"What's your name?"

He stopped again and looked up at me with a bemused expression.

"Edward."

I smiled at him and stared back into his bottomless topaz eyes. Despite what he told me, I still thought he was an angel, which reminded me of the other angels that had been in the room.

"What are their names? The others who were in here?"

At this Edward smiled and started to bandage my neck. His hands felt nice and cool on my neck where his skin brushed mine briefly.

"Carlisle and Esme were closest to you. Jasper was the one who was talking to me. Alice was with Jasper. Emmett was the one more muscular one. Rosalie was with him." He faltered slightly after and his eyes seemed different momentarily before they returned to normal.

"Who was the other one? The non vampire?" The term nonangelic seemed to suit her better but since they weren't angels…

"Bella. That was Bella."

"She's not a vampire."

Edward fell silent, finishing the bandage on my neck. When his hands fell away he looked me in the eyes and I could see a faint sparkle in his.

"She's my fiancée."

_So that's why she looked mad to see me with Edward._

"Does she know you're a vampire?"

He nodded then looked at me peculiarly.

"You're not hungry." It was a statement, not a question. I didn't answer but I felt a little light headed for the first time since I woke up. An ache flooded my veins, my jaw was on fire and a new, bitter taste was in my mouth. I looked up at Edward who was standing and almost at the door.

I glanced down at the blanket still wrapped around me then back up at Edward. He nodded to the bundle that Alice had left before turning his back on me.

I leaned over and grabbed the bundle, finding a pair of jeans and a brilliant red t-shirt. I pulled them on as quickly as possible, folded the blanket and set it on the couch. I stood up by myself, weak at first, then stronger. I made it to Edward before my legs started to give out and pain flooded me again. He wrapped his arm around me to give me some support and together we started down the hall.

_Where are we going?_ I thought, knowing Edward would hear me.

"To get you some food."


	8. Chapter 8

(EPOV)

"Edward?"

I turned instantly towards Bella as the newborn and I walked into the living room. Nobody was in sight except for Bella, who looked a bit perplexed. Poor Bella; she was always being left out of the loop in the family by mistake. Nobody meant to leave her out. If anything, they wanted her more involved with everything. And seeing her sitting there so innocently, her eyes filled with worry and confusion, only made me more sure in my decision to postpone her transformation for as long as possible. I didn't want to lose any part of my Bella.

"Don't worry. Alice is coming. She'll take you home to Charlie."

The moment Alice entered the room, I felt safer about leaving her with Charlie. If I couldn't be there to protect her then at least she would have Alice. But I could still see the slight worry on her face.

"I'll be there as soon as we're done," I assured her, and her frown fell away slowly. I took my arm gently from around the newborn and made my way over to Bella before pulling her into a hug. She melted against my chest and I felt glad. No matter what happened, she was always there, always the same…always my Bella. I kissed the top of her head before backing away, holding her shoulders.

"You'll be there as soon as you're done?" She said quietly, searching my eyes.

"I promise."

_Are your goodbyes always this…melodramatic?_

I ignored the newborn's thoughts and kissed Bella's forehead once more before making my way back to the newborn. I waited until Bella and Alice were out of my range before I pulled the newborn onto my back and headed outside.

_Now we get food?_

"Now we get food."

* * *

(APOV)

The wind whipped my hair away from my face and the trees on either side of me passed so fast, they melted together to form one giant blur. Although Edward had only been running for a couple of minutes, I knew that we were miles away from his home. By the time we had reached the small clearing the sun was starting to dip behind the tall trees that surrounded us on every side. A small shiver ran down my spine as I looked around. I could hear everything: leaves rustling on the ground, the wind blowing between the branches, the snap of a twig being treaded on. The forest was alive, and an instinct that ran deep in my blood told me that it would not be as alive when I left it.

"Do you hear that?" Edward said from my left. I didn't turn to look at him but closed my eyes to concentrate on the sound of a cracking twig and breaking leaves. However, the moment I closed my eyes everything faded away. The clearing, the sounds, Edward; I could still sense it near me, but it was far off in the distance of my mind. I was no longer in the clearing.

I was in the middle of a bustling city. Skyscrapers towered above me on either side, people jostled me too and fro, giving me frightened looks as I stood there, looking around. A strong ache formed in my veins and upper jaw as I found what I was looking for. A girl no older than twenty was walking in front of me, a t-shirt and pair of jeans hugging her body. Her smell filled my nostrils and intoxicated me. Giving all abandon to my surroundings, I followed her.

_**You're mine tonight, love.**_

I continued to walk although I felt frozen. That wasn't my thought. As I continued to walk after the woman I glanced at my reflection in a department store window. Looking back at me was a teenaged boy, well built, golden hair, fashionable clothes and red eyes rimmed black. I would have screamed if I could, but it seemed as if I had no control over this body, I was just an entity of it.

_Where and who the hell am I?_

The body I was in froze, and in that one second the woman vanished from our view amidst a throng of humans waiting to cross the street. The body swore out load as it realized what had happened and several passing people gave us incriminating looks. Soon the frustration the body was feeling was joined by confusion and a little bit of fear.

_**I'm not scared of you.**_

He; The voice I was hearing was the body's; a male's.

_I never said you were._

He fell silent and the body started to move making its way toward a deserted alley. Although the sun was barely moving below the towers and building around us it was already dark and dank in the alley. Dumpsters lined one building. Garbage spewed out over the top and I could see the rats crawling about, trying to scrounge some food for their dinner. The other side of the alley was a brick building that looked desolate; a misfit among the taller, newer buildings on the street.

_**Who are you?**_

It was my turn to be silent. I thought about his question but nothing came to me. I had no name. I had no memory of a name. Who was I? It was a very good question. One even I didn't know the answer to. The only question I had was whether or not I should let him know that.

_I don't know…_

Suddenly a bright light flashed down the alley towards us and the body lifted its arm to shield the light from its eyes. I was too slow to do so, although I didn't need to worry about it. I was in the body. Yet when I blinked, a brief darkness covered me and the view of the alley and light grew hazy. I blinked again and it was gone. I was back in the clearing, Edward standing beside me and … a wolf in the trees not too far from where we were standing.

_Where was I?_

I hoped that Edward would know the answer. Surely he would have realized where I went and why I wasn't in my body. If anybody would have the answers to my questions it would be him, the angel who saved me from the pain.

"Here. You never left," he said slowly, as if he were trying to fit together the pieces just like me.

_But I wasn't here. There was another voice, another body…another place._

"I know. I saw it all," he paused, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes, "I'll ask Carlisle about it when we return. Right now, you need to feed."

For the first time since I had awakened I felt a dull ache in my veins and upper jaw. A bitter taste filled my mouth as I sniffed the air, letting my instincts take a hold of me. It was better to allow it than to object to it. It was easier. The wind blew towards me and I could smell it: the wolf. It was a stone throw away. I looked to Edward for guidance. He nodded at me and I felt my body crouch in an offensive stance. My feet pushed off of the ground with more force than I knew my body was capable of. The next moment I was on top of the wolf, my mouth on its neck. I found the arteries easily and soon the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, soothing the ache in my body.

The more I drank, the stronger I felt. Soon, there was nothing left and I lifted my head from the dead creature and looked at it for the first time. It was a small wolf, maybe a couple of years old. Blood and leaves matted its brown fur and its black eyes gazed blankly at the red sky. A glimmer of sadness filled my body and I felt like I had lost something dear to me as I looked at the lifeless body at my feet. The feelings left quickly when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned with a smile, expecting to see Edward and hoping that he would congratulate me for my first kill when I heard more footsteps.

Sure enough, Edward was behind me, but his back was too me and he was crouched in a defensive stance, a growl erupting from inside of him. I wondered what it was when I saw a number of huge creatures step into the blood red light cast by the sun. Surrounding us on all sides were four giant wolves of various colors, their eyes darting to the lifeless wolf at my feet, to Edward and then to me. I could feel their silent accusations and shook my head. Wolves were creatures. They couldn't blame anybody for anything.

"We found her this way. You can't blame us for taking her in," Edward said harshly. I stepped back silently, thinking he was talking to me. Moments later, as I watched the biggest wolf shake its head, I realized that he was talking to the wolf. Perhaps they weren't what they seemed.

"Of course you wouldn't understand. You're a dog. They don't understand anything," Edward growled. But something that the wolf thought made him fall silent, the growl dying on the wind. He glanced back at me and I looked into his eyes. He searched mine for a moment before turning back to the wolf.

"You think that this is her?" His tone was joking, unbelieving.

_Who does it think I am?_

Maybe this creature knew who I was. Maybe it could tell me why I couldn't remember anything that I tried to. But then again, maybe it was just a wolf, a creature of the night that had no idea that it was conversing with a vampire. The wolf nodded its head and the last thought vanished from my mind. This wasn't just a wolf and it apparently knew it was conversing with a vampire by the way its eyes kept coming back to me. I subconsciously licked my lips and tasted blood. I wiped my chin with the back of my hand and saw more blood. Perhaps I needed more practice with my feeding.

"Nobody, it's wrong," Edward said quietly, turning to look at me again, this time holding my gaze longer. Before I knew what he was doing, I was on his back once more, my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. I rested my head against the back of his shoulder, preparing for the run back to his home when he looked back at the wolf again.

"This better not be a waste of my time Black," he hissed before taking off into the woods once more. The trees whipped past me and scratched my arms in a couple of places as Edward ran quickly through the trees, his mind seemingly elsewhere.

_What was that? And where are we going?_

As I had expected, Edward didn't answer my question right away. In fact he didn't answer me at all until his home was in sight once again. For the first time I took a good look at it and smiled. It was beautiful with its age and the glass wall that covered a whole side of the house. I could only imagine what the living room would look like with the blood red sunset filling the windows. My imagination was interrupted by Edward setting me down gently in front of a shiny silver Volvo.

"_That_ was a werewolf. And unfortunately, we have the pleasure of going to see more."

* * *

(BPOV)

The phone rang loudly downstairs, interrupting Alice's little rant about hairdos and makeup ideas for the wedding, and I thanked it silently. I was sitting on my bed with my hands in my lap while Alice sat behind me, braiding my hair carefully. I made to stand up on the pretext of going to answer the phone when I heard Charlie answer it instead. Sighing, I sat back down and Alice resumed her rant and I feared that it would be hours before I would be able to escape her wrath and be in Edward's arms once more. Thank heaven's Charlie called for me only seconds later, saving my life and my sanity.

I made my way down the stairs quickly and grabbed the phone from Charlie, putting to my ear.

"Hello?"

I should have been wary when I saw the grin on Charlie's face when he passed me the phone, rather willingly; almost encouragingly.

"Bella? It's Jake. Is one of the lee- I mean Cullens there with you?"

I frowned. Since the wedding invitations had been sent out I hadn't heard much from Jacob and it hurt me to know that somewhere down in La Push he was probably hurt and mad at me. I had been hoping to talk to him and the phone call had seemed like the perfect situation, especially since he was calling me. But I should have realized. Jacob was more stubborn than that. He never would have forgiven me that easily, especially with the amount of pain I imagined he would have been dealing with.

"Yes, just a second."

I took a couple of steps towards the stairs and called for Alice in a normal tone, although I was worried that my frustration might show in it. If she heard it, Alice didn't show that she did and promptly took the phone from my hands, as if she knew who was calling for her.

"Yes." Silence. I waited patiently as Jacob explained something to her and a frown formed on Alice's beautiful face.

"Of course I can tell him." More silence. I could hear Jacob's voice rise slightly and his tone grew harsher. I wondered if he was threatening her. While he spoke Alice's frown turned a look of minor anger.

"He'll be there. They both will."

Without another word Alice hung up on Jacob and instantly picked up the phone again, dialing the number for Edward's cell phone. I listened intently, hoping to hear what the previous phone conversation was about but Alice talked too rapidly and quietly for me to catch anything. When the conversation was done, she passed me the phone.

"Edward? What's going on? What did Jacob want?"

I could hear him sigh on the other end of the phone, as the familiar sound of his Volvo's engine revved.

"They know."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I now have a poll up (I think) on my profile, pertaining to a detail I need for an upcoming chapter. Edward Cullen needs a ringtone! So hurry over there, check it out, and vote for your favorite! I would also like to apologise for the long wait for the update. My computer crashed for a bit, writer's block, and I'm really lazy when it comes to typing up my chapters since most of them get written during my Math, French and Child Studies classes. Thanks to everybody who's reviewed (not many, but still) and I'd like to remind everybody that I don't own Twilight, but Adia, Aidan, Garrett, Gabriel, Lucien, Serafina, Estelle, Evan and another vampire whose name I have forgotten since he hasn't been officially written into the story yet, are all my property. Let me know if you'd like to use them. I find them being used anywhere without my go ahead and I well set my lover, Robert Pattinson on you! **

**Now! Read and Review! Please!!**

* * *

(EPOV)

Trees sped past the windows as I drove towards La Push, ignoring the glare Bella was giving me. She hated it when I drove over the speed limit, but Alice kept telling me to hurry up. Alice sat in the back, wringing her hands next to the newborn who was gazing out the window, her mind blank. As usual when the werewolves were involved, Alice couldn't see anything and felt completely useless. Nevertheless, she had insisted on coming. She had told Bella that it was because she was interested in their theory. In reality, I heard her thinking about calling Jasper to help even out the odds. I'll admit, having Jasper with us would have been a nice advantage, but we didn't have time to wait for him; I wanted to get this over with.

I slowed as we neared the border line and pulled over to the side of the road. The whole drive had been quiet and the silence still remained. Alice was busy thinking of ways to get Jasper there while the newborn was still trying to figure out what had happened earlier. She was thinking about the werewolves when a sudden image flashed across my mind. It was a full moon shining above a forest, accompanied by a long, sad howl that pierced the night. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn't my memory but the newborn's. I looked back at her and saw that she looked just as surprised as I did about her sudden flashback.

"Do you remem-"

I groaned inwardly as two more voices filled my mind, one of them too familiar.

"Why didn't you tell me Sam was sending _him_?" I snapped at Alice. She looked just a little confused as the other two women in car who were looking at me.

"I didn't know. He never said who –" Alice started to explain. At that moment a car I had never seen before sped towards us and stopped at the border line, twenty yards away. I opened my door at the same time Jacob opened his.

"Cullen."

"Jacob."

The sound of three more car doors opening and slamming told me that my Volvo was now void of human and vampire presence.

"Jake!" Bella exclaimed before she reached my side.

"Hey Bells," Jacob replied, not really looking at her. I soon saw the reason in his head. He didn't want to see Bella. Not now.

"Where's Sam?" Alice asked from behind me. She was close to the newborn, ready for anything.

"Waiting," Jacob replied as he walked towards us. _Stupid bloodsuckers._

"Such sweet names you have for us," I stated, a cold smile on my face.

"Stay out of my head Cullen."

"I would if I could, believe me."

He glanced at Bella before glaring at me.

"Sam set up a clearing not far from here on the line. Neutral territory."

I nodded then looked at Bella, "Come on."

I helped her climb onto my back and waited until she was holding on tight before looking at Alice. The newborn was holding tightly onto Alice's shoulders, looking perfectly at ease. Although she had regained some of her strength, I doubted that she would have been strong enough to keep up by herself.

"This way," Jacob said. The tone of his voice threw me off, but I noticed his lingering gaze on the newborn and the odd look in his eyes. I was one I had never seen before. Although I was immensely curious, Jacob was purposefully not thinking of it. Instead he was counting rapidly to one hundred then started reciting all of the old Quileute legends. I raised my eyebrow at him but he was already starting towards the woods. Seconds later he hurled himself into the dark mass of trees.

* * *

(BPOV)

I could feel Edward's muscles tense after Jacob ran into the dense forest. Seconds later he shot off after him. The breakneck speed hr was running at threatened to pull me off of him. Almost as if he could sense it, Edward reached back with one hand to help hold me close to him.

"We're almost there," he called over his shoulder. The wind was rushing past us, making it hard to hear him. I ducked my head under my arm, my eyes closed tight; the branches were starting to get precariously close.

What seemed like hours later, although it was probably minutes, Edward slowed down and I chanced a glance. I raised my head slowly and peeked above the shelter of my arm. The trees were so close together here that it already looked like it was dusk. Hardly any sun filtered through the leady canopy, making it harder for me to see.

Finally, Edward slowed to a walk and raised my head completely to see exactly where we were. Beside us, Alice and the newborn had caught up. Alice's eyes were narrowed and she looked frustrated. The newborn, on the other hand, looked at ease, barely holding onto Alice's shoulders. I looked down at my own hands on Edward's shoulders; my knuckles were white.

"Sam," Edward said to somebody in front of him.

My head snapped up and I saw Sam standing with Jacob, Quil, Seth and two other men I had never seen before. One looked vaguely familiar though. He was almost as tall as Jake and his brown hair was cut short. He had the Sam tan complexion as the rest of the Quileute pack. His eyes were a deep brown that showed a lot of worry and disbelief. Not for the first time, I wished I could share Edward's gift and discover what weight was on this man's mind. His clothes were scant and tattered, much like those of a werewolf.

The other man looked relatively the same except his short hair was the yellowy shade of dyed blonde and his eyes were a startling green. I couldn't remember ever seeing them in La Push before. I began to wonder about that and glanced at the newborn. She was standing behind Alice, carefully hidden from the werewolves' direct line of sight. I had only begun to wonder why when Edward spoke again.

"It's not her Sam. It's not possible," he stated clearly, his brow creasing in a frown. At once I was lost and knew that Edward would be too focused on their thoughts to help. Instead I turned to Alice and caught her eye.

"They think that the newborn is one of theirs," she hissed from between her teeth. Evidently, she disagreed. Still, I turned to Jacob.

"One of yours?" I questioned, hoping he'd answer me.

"Aidan's sister went missing after running into a pack of vampires in the city," Seth supplied after my questions was greeted with silence from the others. "They chased her across the border and clear across the state to a clearing near the Cullen's' hunting grounds. She switched to her human form after telling Aidan and the others not to come for her. That was almost two weeks ago."

"But it only takes three days for the transformation. It can't be her," I argued, it just didn't make sense.

"There's a quick way to know for sure," Sam finally said. He nodded to one of the men who took a timid step towards Alice. A growl ripped through Alice's throat, but after a look from Edward, she stepped slowly aside, revealing the newborn standing behind her.

The man looked like he was going to faint. He stared at her. A thick silence engulfed the rest of us as we waited for something to happen. After what seemed like hours, he finally spoke.

"Adia?"

I watched closely as he took another tentative step towards the newborn. Her calm face turned to one of polite confusion as she realized that he was talking to her.

"She doesn't remember you," Edward supplied quietly, reaching for my hand. The action was so voluntary and routine I didn't think anything of it as I intertwined our fingers.

"Adia? It…it's me, kid. Aidan. Your big brother," his voice began to sound desperate. He grabbed the other man by the front of his shirt and pulled him over.

"You remember Garrett, don't you? Good ol'cousin Garrett?" Realizing that he wouldn't get an answer from her he turned to Edward, who shook his head sadly.

Aidan closed his eyes and grimaced as if the loss of her memory was causing him physical pain. It was silent in the clearing for a few minutes before numerous things happened in quick succession.

Edward pulled me swiftly behind him, crouching defensively; he and Alice let growls rip through their bodies as Aidan turned to face Edward, screaming; Garrett reached for Aidan as he began trembling violently.

"You! This is all your fault! You turned my sister into a blood drinking, immortal, red eyed monster! I'll kill you!" Aidan screamed, lunging towards Edward and myself, clothes ripping to shreds as he transformed into his wolf form. He had barely reached the arch of his dive when Alice jumped even faster, knocking Aidan to the ground. The meeting had started with barely controlled dislike for each other and now, as Alice wrestled Aidan on the ground, the tension snapped.

Seth and Sam ran forward to pull Alice off of Aidan, both of them attempting to kill the other. Sam was yelling incoherently at Edward while Seth was trying to reason with them. In that moment I felt genuinely bad for Seth. His new friendship with the Cullen's didn't bode well with the pack, and now they were fighting each other. My attention for the poor boy was short lived as Edward chose that moment to place me behind a tree, out of harm's way. Quil had joined Alice and Aidan, also in his wolf form. Crawling from behind the tree, pine needles and leaves sticking to my sweaty palms, I noticed for the first time the other fight happening in the clearing. Alice had left the newborn unprotected when she knocked Aidan off of his war path. Despite the fact that we still didn't know if the newborn was Adia, Garrett seemed intent on eliminating the problem completely. He was circling the newborn, shaking so bad he seemed to be vibrating, a feral gleam in his eyes. In the centre of his range the newborn stood perfectly still. While Garrett circled her, her eyes remained closed and she didn't bother turning when he disappeared out of her range. Garrett paused in his circling, almost shocked by her lack of movement. I counted in my head as he waited for her to turn around and attack him. He started to change on the count of thirteen.

A panic started to well up inside of me. Garrett was going to kill her, with her back turned, completely vulnerable.

"Edward."

His name barely made it out of my dry mouth. I turned just enough to see Edward grappling with Quil, keeping him off of Alice who was still trying to tear Aidan limb from limb. Being so focused on keeping Alice safe, he didn't seem to hear me. I looked back at the newborn in time to see Garrett fully transformed, poising to spring.


	10. Chapter 10

(BPOV)

"Edward!" I screamed. Garrett had finally launched himself into the air at the newborn.

I stood up, clutching the tree for support, unable to tear my eyes away from the poor, defenceless vampire. The only thing I could do was watch and pray that Edward would come running to the rescue. Seconds after the through ran through my mind a large flying mass collided yet again with a werewolf. The force of their impact drove them both clear into a large maple tree not five feet away. They hit the tree with a sickening crack before collapsing on the ground, both panting heavily. Which couldn't be true.

I turned back to the other fight to see that it was no longer a fight. Sam and Seth were talking to Aidan, who was back in human form. Luckily I couldn't see anything past Sam's broad back. Alice was already at the newborn's side checking her over. A cold hand took mine gently. I jumped back away from the tree and lost my footing. Instead of landing on the hard, mossy ground, I was looking up at Edward who seemed hurt.

"Sorry. You surprised me," I explained. Opening my mouth to speak again, I was cut off by the sound of Jacob's steadily increasing voice.

"What did you think you were doing? Do you really want to spill blood around three vampires? We're practically outnumbered!"

Garrett was lying face down on the ground at the base of the tree. Sam was standing beside Jacob looking down at Garrett.

"If you can't handle seeing her like this then I suggest you leave. I won't have you causing a war on my grounds." It was clear by the tone in Sam's voice that Garrett would be leaving one way or another.

Without a glance up at Sam, Garrett began trembling again, got up and ran into the woods at inhuman speed. Jacob watched him go, lingering resentment evident on his face.

"Sorry about that Edward. It shouldn't happen again," Sam apologized.

Edward acknowledged him with a slight shrug while Alice huffed from her spot beside the newborn.

"You have more questions? She can't answer any of them," Edward said suddenly, addressing somebody's thoughts. Aidan shifted uncomfortable and I wondered if anybody had thought to pre-warn him about Edward's gift.

"Where did you find her?" Aidan asked quietly.

"In the woods, quite a few miles from Forks. There was a faint scent that ended at the highway, and a faint scent of werewolf. We assumed that it was one of Sam's," Edward answered. Aidan looked, if possible, more uncomfortable than before, darting glances at the newborn. She was still standing next to Alice, her eyes closed and a vacant expression on her face. I turned back to the conversation when I heard Jacob talking.

"Nobody has been out that way in the past month. We wouldn't have left her there if we had been either."

A sudden idea popped into my mind as I watched Jacob. There were more reasons against it, but still, it could work.

"She is Adia. It makes sense," I started. They all turned to look at me, except the newborn who was still vacant looking. "Adia was a werewolf right? So wouldn't there still be her scent where she had spent two weeks? Besides," I hurried; Edward was trying to cut me off. "If she was a werewolf wouldn't the venom have needed more time to work? Especially if her body kept trying to repair the damage?"

Alice was silent, as was everybody else. Edward looked a little shocked at my sudden revelation.

"I agree with Bella. It makes perfect sense," Seth said quickly. He seemed anxious to keep the peace.

"It does make sense Edward," Alice added quietly. At her words we all turned to look at Edward, who was looking at the newborn.

"It does," he sighed. "But that doesn't change anything. She's still a vampire with no memory of her previous life." His eyes finally tore away from the newborn and he looked over to Jacob.

"Why doesn't she talk?" Aidan finally asked sounding exasperated. A small smile formed on Edward's face for the first time since we entered the clearing.

"She doesn't know what to say. At least, that was why she didn't earlier. The reason she isn't talking now is because she's ignoring the conversation, in a way. It's hard to explain," Edward managed to say before words failed him. "At the moment although her body is very much here, her mind and focus are in, from my best guess, Seattle."

The werewolves exchanged confused looks while Alice chuckled quietly. I gave her a questioning look. I felt as though I had missed an important memo. Of course, Edward hadn't told me of anything like this before and I was utterly and completely confused.

"Seattle?" I asked, looking up at Edward.

He pulled me into a hug, looking down at me. It I hadn't been against his chest, I doubted I would have heard him sigh.

* * *

(APOV)

The werewolves were boring. Until one of them actually stated what was going on, I wasn't even paying attention to them. I would much rather have been back at the Cullens' watching them work as a family, trying to come up with the right name for me and arguing about what was going on with me every time I closed my eyes.

Carlisle was convinced that my ability was my 'gift', much like those of Edward, Alice and Jasper. Unlike Edward though, I could communicate with whoever it was. Esme and Jasper tried to convince Edward that the man was probably somebody I close to while a human. Edward would then remind them that the man was surprised when I entered his mind for the first time, and clearly a vampire. Which brought up the unanswerable question: Why was I able to see into the mind of an unknown vampire, who was possibly hundreds of miles away?

I was brought back to Earth by a new, nervous voice. The man who spoke looked to be in his late teens and completely dishevelled.

"Adia?"

The name did nothing and I glanced at Edward. _Is that my name?_

Edward was too busy watching the man to answer my question so I decided to do the same. The desperation that was oozing out of him was starting to frighten me. If only there was a way to escape the clearing unnoticed. I looked around, trying to find a hole in the perimeter, but there was no way I could outrun any of them back to the Cullens'. Then it hit me. Without stopping to think about it, I closed my eyes.

When everything stayed dark I began to doubt my 'gift', until footsteps made their way towards me. Boots on tile echoed to me before the actual boots got there.

"Gabriel?"

The body I was in stirred. Just like earlier, I had no control but was merely along for the ride. After the body blinked a couple of times I realized that the room I was in was simply dark. I could make out the faint outlines of a door, window and a painting on the wall. It took me a minute to register the plushy, leather couch the body I was in was sitting on.

"Gabriel?" the voice outside the door repeated.

_**Alright, alright.**_

_You're the same man as earlier._

The body, which had been in the process of sitting up, froze. It looked around a couple of times before I felt the recognition tense his muscles.

_**You're kidding me.**_

"Gabriel!"

_**Damn it.**_

Gabriel sat up and walked over to the door, grouchiness evident in his walk, but I could sense the underlying tension that filled his body.

_You're scared of me?_

_**Hell no. I'm annoyed by you.**_

_Already?_

_**Cleary.**_

Gabriel opened the door and our eyes were met with a yellow light and the silhouette of a tall figure. IT didn't take too long for Gabriel's eyes to adjust and his mind told me that the gorgeous man standing in the doorway was Lucien.

"What do you want Lucien?" Gabriel said with a bit of venom in his voice. It was odd, but hearing Gabriel's voice gave me chills. At the same moment that I felt the chills run down my currently nonexistent body, Gabriel stepped aside to let Lucien in. Gabriel's voice was different from that of his mind. It was sweeter and silkier than what actually came out of his mouth.

"Serafina was worrying about you."

_Who's Serafina?_

_**Piss off.**_

"Good for Serafina. Tell her I'm moping around and to mind her own fucking business."

_Is she your … mate?_

I couldn't think of the right word to finish my sentence, describing what Esme was to Carlisle. Unfortunately, I knew that the word I had chosen wasn't right.

"Hell no!" Gabriel exclaimed.

Lucien raised his eyebrow at Gabriel's sudden outburst. I giggled and was surprised to find that I _could_ giggle in Gabriel's mind. The sound was unlike any I had heard before, tinkling bells that reminded me of Edward and my first impression of him as an angel.

My giggling fit was cut off though when Gabriel gasped in astonishment.

_What?_

_**Nothing.**_

"Hell no what, Gabe?" Lucien asked at precisely the wrong moment. Gabriel was no longer thinking about my giggle or out little conversation but was trying to come up with a decent explanation for Lucien.  
"I forgot about the werewolves. How did they take the death of their '_kid_'?" Gabriel asked.

Lucien looked a little surprised but went along with it.

"Evan said they were devastated. They followed her scent to the forest and headed to La Push when they couldn't find her body."

"La Push?"

_It's just outside of Forks, about a fifteen minute drive from the Cullens' house. I'm near there right now._

_**What the hell? Who are the Cullens?**_

_The vampire family who-_

I felt a push coming from somewhere behind me and the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by the werewolves, Alice and Bella. Edward was standing above me with a glare on his face and his hand held out to help me up.

_Did __**you**__ push me?_

"We'll talk about that later," he hissed between his teeth.

I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up. Looking around I noticed that a couple of the werewolves weren't wearing any shirts and that Alice looked as if she had been rolling on the ground. I quickly noticed what looked like shirts and pants torn on the ground.

_What did I miss?_

"Garrett tried to kill you and Jacob saved your life" Edward answered, anticipating my next question.

_Which one is Jacob?_

Edward pointed and I couldn't help but stare a little. Jacob was by far the tallest person in the clearing, with shaggy black hair and lovely brown eyes which were currently boring into mine.

"Thank you," I said quietly, turning back to Edward.

_Why didn't __**you**__ save me?_

"I was trying to keep Aidan from tearing Alice's head off."

Alice frowned slightly before turning her back on Edward. Clearly she wasn't happy with him anymore. I looked back at Jacob and was surprised to see that he was still looking at me, a slightly intense glint in his eyes. It was enough to make me take a step back.

"So…am I Adia?" I managed to murmur to nobody in particular.

"Maybe," Edward said at the same that Alice muttered, "yes."

I looked at Jacob, suddenly curious as to what his opinion was. He seemed to understand but merely shrugged his shoulders. Turning back to Edward, I saw his jaw twitch and wondered if anything was bothering him.

_Then can we go now?_

"Yes," Edward answered before speaking to Sam.

"Thank you for your ideas, but I still think that it doesn't add up quite right."

Without another word he scooped Bella into his arms and gently placed her on his back just like earlier. Bella looked a little glum but held on tight.

"Bye Jake," she called while smiling ruefully at the others. As soon as she was done, Edward took off back towards the car.

I said nothing, but refused to climb onto Alice's back. I wanted to run. She seemed to understand, but took my hand to lead me. I glanced back at Jacob one last time to see him grimace as if in pain. I didn't have time to think about it before Alice and I shot off into the dense forest.

Running by myself felt liberating. I felt better than I had since I woke up. It was if the wind acted like some kind of key, freeing me, briefly, from the thoughts and burdens that usually plagued my mind.

It seemed to take no time to get back to the car. I soon found myself climbing into the back seat of the Volvo beside Alice. The moment the last door closed we were embraced by a stony silence until Edward spoke.

"What did you think you were doing?"

His voice was an eerie calm that frightened me more than anything I had seen of heard before. Bella seemed to think he was talking to her and a startled expression fell on her face. Alice looked away, choosing not to take part in the conversation.

_I don't know what you're talking about Edward._

"You told him. Told him where we are, _who_ we are and most importantly you told him where to find you," he answered, a cool frost seeping into his words.

_You make it sound worse than it really is. I'm sure he won't come looking for us._

"You can't be sure of that and frankly, I don't want to deal with another coven of nomad vampires. I don't want Bella's life in danger again!"

"Neither do I," I whispered. It was the first time I had spoken out loud to Edward; I had fallen into the habit of relying on his gift to communicate with him. This time though, I knew he wouldn't be able to sense the emotion or the depth from where my words were coming. I didn't know Bella that well. Hardly as well as I knew the Cullens, but I knew what Edward felt for her. I could barely imagine what Edward would do is Bella got hurt, let alone killed. Whereas to me Edward was a brother, my guardian angel of sorts. I heard him sigh with resignation as I thought it, but kept on thinking.

_I don't want to see you without her. I'm sorry I slipped up. It won't happen again._

"Don't worry about it Adia," Alice suddenly put it. "He has a tendency to overreact."

Bella giggle from up front, but it didn't last long. An audible "oh" issued from her and we all followed her gaze which led directly to Jacob and Sam.

Jacob was staring back at us and looked as if he was going to run at the Volvo. Sam, on the other hand, was trying to lead Jacob to the car; I could see his lips moving urgently but his expression was one of sympathy. Slowly, Jacob moved towards the car, but we never saw him get in it. Edward had finally started the car, did a very illegal u-turn and took off back up the highway towards the Cullens' house.

"Home," Edward whispered, too quietly for Bella to hear. "We're going home."

Home. The word sounded warm and comforting. Just like Esme and Carlisle would be when we arrived and told them our story of what happened. Solid and structured like the relationships between the Cullens. A place to feel loved and cherished. It was at the same moment that Alice spoke that I realized it for myself.

"You're part of this family too Adia," she whispered. And as much as I rejoiced hearing those words something deep inside of me knew it was a lie. Something deep inside of me was falling apart and crying.


	11. Chapter 11

(JPOV)

_Aw hell._

"Jacob! You mind keeping the car on the road?"

My eyes snapped up from the steering wheel in time to see the turn in the road but the speed that I hit it with almost sent us flying off anyways. Carefully, I pulled the car to the side of the road and glanced at Sam. He wasn't looking at me but I could tell he was worried. His brow was creased and his eyes scanned the forest on either side of the road. After a couple minutes of silence he looked up at me with concern on his face.

"Jake, are you sure you're okay?"

I couldn't take the pity in his voice. He felt bad for me. I could tell from his expression that he wished it didn't happen, wished that I wouldn't have to eventually leave the pack, and, for a moment, I felt the same way. Then I remembered the way Garrett had looked at her before jumping. Instantly I felt the tremors start from my core. He had wanted to kill her. Wanted to rip her limb from limb and burn everything to be sure that she wouldn't survive. I couldn't let that happen.

"I know Jake," Sam said with a soothing voice, his hand on my arm, trying to calm me down. It took me a minute to realize that I had spoken my last thought out loud. I looked down at my shaking arms and tried to think of something calming but all I could think about was her being in danger and the look on her face when she opened her eyes and looked straight at me; those eyes, her eyes. I had expected them to be scarlet, like Sam had said they usually are, but they weren't. They weren't even topaz like the color of the Cullens' eyes; they were a perfect deep green. Almost instantaneously my body calmed down, but I continued to think of her eyes. Those startling, green eyes. That's when it hit me.

"Sam…"

* * *

(EPOV)

After dropping Alice and Adia off at the end of the driveway, the drive into forks was considerably more comfortable. Bella was relaxed and the wave of worry that had hit me was gone. Maybe Adia would be right. Maybe Gabriel wouldn't come. I drove the thought out of my mind by looking at Bella. She was looking straight ahead, a thoughtful, adorable looked on her face, only because I had decided to keep her happy and drive the speed limit. Bella glanced over at me obviously hoping I was too busy looking at the road to notice her marvelling at my beauty. Again.

Rather surprisingly she didn't comment about my driving, but kept looking at me, a smile growing steadily on her face. Undoubtedly she was revelling in our time alone, hoping for another chance to talk me into having sex with her. Still, the sight of her smile filled me up with joy. Not seconds later, as we turned onto the main road in Forks, my joy faltered slightly.

Soon enough her smile would be faltering. Sure, Alice may argue that she'll accept it and be happy for him, but I knew her better. As much as she didn't like it and denied it, she loved him and was used to the constant, if not faltering, devotion he showed her. She wouldn't really want it to change.

Hopefully Billy got the message I left at their house for Jacob and Seth. I knew that sooner or later they would want to talk to Adia and Carlisle about what they were going to do. Knowing them, they'd most likely call Bella or Charlie and hope that somebody, namely Alice or I, would be there.

Pulling to a stop in front of the Swans' house I knew that I needed to notify Carlisle and the rest of the family about this new update but I also needed to tell Bella. God knows how much trouble he would cause if he tried to tell her himself. I looked over at Bella again who appeared to be waiting patiently for me.

"Bella, I think you need to know something," I started.

"Alright," she said slowly, obviously bracing herself for the worst.

Well, at least she would be prepared.

* * *

(BPOV)

_Now what?_

Before Edward could get a word out, a loud ringing issued from his pocket. I looked down at it and could easily identify the rectangular bulge of his cell phone. It continued to ring, almost insistently and I wondered if Edward was going to answer it.

With a frustrated, impatient look that I saw so infrequently, he moved too fast for me to see. When I blinked I saw the phone in his hand, answered.

"Hello? … I know…if you think that's best for her…no, I really don't think it will make it easier to accept…fine, but I'm giving you a fair warning that neither of them will like this…I have a hunch, alright? …yes, I'll ask her…bye Jacob."

I knew that Edward wouldn't need to ask to know about my curiosity. It was probably written all over my face. Jacob never liked talking to Edward in person so I could hardly imagine him calling Edward on his cell phone, or that Edward would sound so … _polite_. Usually the two were at each other's throats, more so since Jacob got his wedding invitation. My stomach clenched at the thought of it.

"Jacob?"

Edward looked out towards my house through the dense fog that had settled since we left the clearing. Not for the first time, I wish I could know what he was thinking.

"What did he want?" I tried again.

"He wants you to stay out of La Push for a while. At least until the other wolves are gone," Edward finally explained after a moments pause.

I looked closely at Edward, trying to find hints that we was lying. No, Edward didn't want to hurt me by keeping me away from Jacob, but I wouldn't put it past him to use this afternoon as an excuse to keep me out of the wolves' territory. Sadly, as I looked and almost forgot to breathe, Edward kept his face a blank mask.

"Am I allowed to call him? I'd much rather hear it from him. Speaking of which, why didn't he just tell me himself?"

"He was in a bit of a hurry, but I wouldn't call him. He said he'll call you once he gets the time," Edward answered. His voice was melodic and velvety as usual but there was some underlying emotion that I just couldn't identify.

"You better go in, Charlie's getting a bit impatient," Edward said while reaching across me to open my door.

"You aren't coming in?" I asked without moving, although my door was open and I could see Charlie looking out the window.

"I need to talk to Carlisle about what happened this afternoon. I'll be back here tonight Bella."

With a sigh I got out of the car and closed the door quietly. As I walked up to the front door I heard the engine rev and turned in time to see the Volvo speeding around the corner. As much as I wanted to talk to Edward and find out what was going on with Jacob, I knew that I had to deal with Charlie first. Sure enough, when I got inside he was waiting there for me, wondering what I had done that afternoon.  
"Nothing, Dad. I just spent the afternoon with Edward, Alice and Jake," I said truthfully enough before heading to the kitchen. Already I could feel a small knot of insecurity and worry forming in my stomach and I knew it was going to be a long couple of hours before Edward came back.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bells, it's Jake."

"Jacob!"

My heart rate sped up as I heard Jacob's voice on the other end of the line. Since Edward had given me that cryptic message from Jacob's phone call I had been waiting impatiently by the phone in the kitchen, waiting for Jacob to call me.

"It's about time! What's all this about – "

"Bella, do you mind meeting me in Port Angeles for lunch tomorrow?" he said quickly, cutting me off.

"I hardly think this is the time to take me on a date Jake."

"It's not a date. I need to talk to you and it needs to be somewhere public."

"Why does it need to be somewhere public?"

"You'll see when I tell you tomorrow. Thanks Bella."

"Bye Jake."

I hung up the phone and stood against the wall, more than a bit stunned. What the hell would he need to tell me in a 'public' place? Why couldn't we just stay in forks?

Shaking my head I made my way to the kitchen and started preparing supper for Charlie and I. Edward probably wouldn't like the idea of me being with Jake in Port Angeles, a place where it would be harder for the rest of the Cullens and the pack to keep an eye on me.

"God Jake," I mumbled under my breath as I rinsed the lettuce with cold water in the sink.

"What'd he do now?"

I turned around to see Charlie pouring himself a glass of pop, looking a bit amused. Might as well tell him before Edward, I thought.

"He's taking me out for lunch in Port Angeles tomorrow," I said without looking at Charlie. I didn't want to see the amusement I knew I would find there.

"Is he really?" Charlie paused, taking a sip of his pop. "What about Edward?"

"What _about_ Edward?"

"Is he going too?"

I fell silent as I set the table and returned to the stove to get the spaghetti. Charlie sat down in his chair and looked almost triumphant at my silence. Sitting down across from him I knew I didn't want him to have the satisfaction of doubting my relationship with Edward.

"Yes. He's going to go shopping with Alice while Jake and I have lunch," I improvised, praying for a chance to let Edward know about his new plans before Charlie could question him about it.

Sure enough, Charlie's smug look vanished and he grumpily dished some spaghetti onto his plate. We ate in silence for some time; Charlie staring moodily at his plate, pushing his food around with unnecessary force while I mulled over how best to let Edward know about my lunch plans. Of course, that was the key: to tell him that I was going to lunch. Asking him would leave it open for him to say no and just mentioning it would make him think that I don't care, which was a lie.

Against my wishes I found that I was starting to get a little excited about spending the afternoon with Jacob. Hopefully I would be able to talk him into going to the wedding. At the thought of the wedding I felt a sick jolt in my stomach that had nothing to do with the food. Unfortunately it seemed like Charlie noticed.

"You okay Bells? You don't look too hot," he said with an edge of worry. His brow creased and his eyes tightened. I had to give him a small smile although a part of me felt like crying. I was still his little girl and it was going to kill the both of us when I couldn't see him anymore.

"I feel a little queasy Dad. I think I'll go lay down for a bit," I lied. Telling Charlie outright that I was nervous about my upcoming nuptials was definitely a bad idea. He'd immediately jump on the chance to try and talk me out of marrying Edward, despite the fact that nothing he said would ever change my mind about it.

"Alright Bells. I'll see you in the morning, and don't worry about that," Charlie insisted as I started to clear the table, getting ready to clean up the kitchen. I smiled gratefully at Charlie before heading up the stairs, praying that Edward was already in my room waiting for me.

Unfortunately, when I made it to my room he wasn't in sight. I grabbed my pyjamas and toiletries before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I might as well do what I told Charlie I would. Lying to him always made me feel horrible, even if it was to help him.

Thankfully, my bad mood lifted when I entered my bedroom again to see Edward sitting on my bed. Somehow I managed to restrain myself from running right over to him and put my things away first before climbing onto his lap. I was about to tell him about my lunch plans with Jacob when he cut me off.

"So I'm shopping with Alice while you and Jacob go to lunch tomorrow?" he asked quietly, searching my face for something.

"He called while I was making supper," I confirmed, nodding slightly. His face was unreadable and I was suddenly tense, waiting for the refusal. But none came.

"Alright, but we'll be bringing Adia with us as well."

"Why? Can't she stay with Esme and Carlisle?"

"She could, but Alice has been dying to take Adia shopping since she woke up. Alice keeps insisting that she needs a proper wardrobe."

I chuckled at the thought then yawned. Although it was barely dusk the afternoon's events had wore me out. Edward heard my yawn and immediately laid me down on my bed, under the covers. I snuggled into his chest and looked up at him for a moment before placing a kiss on his lips. He didn't respond at first, but slowly he kissed me back before pulling away. A pout uncontrollably formed on my face which only made Edward give me a small smile before he started humming my lullaby. I sighed resignedly while burying my face in his chest, ready to let his humming carry me off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

(EPOV)

"Hey Bella. Edward. Thanks for bringing her," Jacob said as soon as our small group walked up to him. Even without hearing his thoughts I could read the emotions in his face plain as day while he looked at the sole subject of his thoughts. Surprisingly, I felt slightly protective and was worried that Jacob's thoughts would stray to less appropriate day dreams. Thankfully, he was only thinking about how he was going to tell Bella.

"No problem Jacob." My voice had enough of an edge to it that I knew even Bella would be able to sense it.

"I'll let you know when we're ready," he said before putting his arm casually around Bella's shoulders.

"Don't be too long," I said before turning to Alice. She grinned and grabbed Adia's hand. Adia gave her a smile and the three of us headed down the street. It was fairly crowded for a Saturday afternoon and I was slightly worried about Adia's self control around this many humans, but she was too busy trying to keep up with Alice's steady flow of monologue. It was shocking how quickly Adia had molded herself into our family.

Over the course of three days she had picked up more details than Bella had in three months. Esme had taken her in like her own flesh and blood. To anybody on the outside looking in, Adia, Esme and Carlisle were a perfect little family. Already Carlisle was acting like a proud father showing Adia how to hunt properly, telling her stories from his past. Esme spent time playing with Adia's hair and talking about "girl stuff". The rest of the family adored her as well. Emmett enjoyed racing Adia and telling her every joke he could think of. Adia liked watching Rosalie work on the cars. Alice was anxious to take Adia shopping and spent hours playing makeover while Jasper had found somebody to tell his war stories to. It had surprised us all when Adia seemed to take a liking to his anecdotes. Jasper had told me she felt a connection to them, which left us all curious. As for me, Adia hardly left me sight, preferring to sit across from me and think about everything, hoping I would pick up on something she missed.

As we continued walking I thought of how much time she had been spending with her eyes closed, indulging herself in this stranger's mind. Her most recent excursion had proved my theory that he was a vampire and was definitely living in Seattle. I had been trying to come up with theories as to why Adia had that connection with the mysterious vampire, but still hadn't managed to find one.

_Here goes._

Jacob's thoughts quickly found their way to the front of my mind. Without saying anything, I turned around and walked back to the car. Soundlessly, I climbed in, cracked the window open, opened the book I had brought and listened. Thankfully the store's owner had decided that it was hot enough to keep the door and windows open.

"So what's the big deal Jake? What did you need to tell me in public?" Bella's voice floated to me. She could have been sitting in the backseat. I flipped the page.

"You can't wait long enough to eat your lunch?"

I could picture Bella frowning, getting impatient.

"Fine. You remember how I was telling you about the old legends of imprinting?"

"Vividly."

"Good, that saves me some time."

If I hadn't been waiting for them I doubt I would have noticed Adia and Alice climbing into the car with me.

"Are you telling me you brought me all the way here to tell me you've imprinted? On who Jake? Do I know her?" I could hear the excitement mingled with suspense in Bella's voice.

"Yes you know her Bella. But you have to understand something first. When we imprint, nothing else matters. She's the only thing in the world that makes life worth living; everything gravitates around her. Not only is it physically painful to be away from her, it's almost impossible for her to reject this kind of devotion. There's also a law among our pack; nobody can harm the subject of somebody's imprint," Jacob explained after taking a deep breath.

"Where's this going Jake?" Bella's voice was starting to tremble with worry.

"Eventually, I don't know how soon, I'm going to have to leave the pack or else a lot of people we love are going to get hurt."

I tried not to growl. _We_ love. He only loved her. He didn't care about the rest of us.

"Jake … who is it?"

"Because when you marry Edward, things are going to start to get complicated on both parts of the treaty."

"Jacob, who it is?" Bella's voice was more demanding now, shaking with fear. I glanced at Alice, who merely gave me a small smile. It was going better than we had expected. It was only the next part of Jacob's plan that I was worried about.

_You can bring her in now Edward._

I sighed with resignation before getting out of the car and walking to the door, knowing that she was behind me, completely oblivious to what was going to happen.

"Just remember Bella, I couldn't control it."

I managed to make my entrance at the perfect time, with the subject of Jacob's imprinting right behind me. Bella turned and looked confused until Jacob made it a little easier to understand. A passionate expression formed on his face as he explained.

"I love her."

* * *

(APOV)

_Why is everybody looking at me?_


End file.
